’Mech of the Week: Locust IIc
Locust IIc. The Clan upgrade of the iconic BattleMech. Weighing in at 25 tons, 5 tons heavier than its forebear. Created to act as a rapid scout with formidable firepower, the design was at the forefront of Clan warfare until the advent of the
Fire Moth in 2874.
Even the OmniMech that can’t take a spitball is more popular with the front-liners than a solid BattleMech…
Clan Mongoose is the Clan who gets the credit for the first models. Which they used to good effect, until they pissed off the Smoke Jaguars. Which ended the typical way that you would expect when dealing with Clan Hulk Smash. Built around an endo-steel skeleton and mounting a 200-rated engine, the design had comparable speed to its forebear, the LCT-1V
Locust. Four tons of ferro-fibrous armor provides 86% of maximum protection in an 8, 10/2, 8/2, 8, 10 pattern (head, center front/rear, side front/rear, arms, legs respectively). Weapons consist of four small lasers in each arm and a centerline medium pulse. Ten double-strength heat sinks provide near heat neutrality (a running Alpha puts you at 2 heat).
The
Locust IIc proliferated quickly, even before the Jaguars destroyed the Mongoose. In 2837, the Jade Falcons premiered the
2 variant, which mounts a centerline medium laser and two 2-pack Streak SRMs in each arm, one ton of ammunition also being stored in each arm (and hopefully cross-fed, though if you run out of that much ammunition…). The Jaguars introduced the
3 variant in 2853, which mounts a large laser centerline, and a small pulse in each arm.
For two hundred years these three variants soldiered on. Finally, the advent of new technologies led to the next arrivals. The Wolves unveiled the
5 variant in 3060. This variant uses a centerline medium laser and two 3-tube ATM launchers, one in each arm. One ton of ammunition is also stored in each arm. Not to be outdone, the Falcons unveiled the
4 variant in 3064, which mounts a centerline medium, and three small heavy lasers in each arm. It also has twelve double heat sinks.
The Jihad came and the Clans took it as hard as anyone. Maybe harder considering the Word of Blake hated them more than anyone, and said WoBble attacks led more or less indirectly to the Wars of Reaving. The first new variant to show up arrived in 3075, the product of the Wolves and Ghost Bears. The
6 mounted twin triple-machine gun arrays in place of the
5’s ATMs. A half ton of armor was also added, bringing protection up to 8, 13/3, 9/3, 8, 11 pattern.
The Hell’s Horses produced their own variant in 3076. The
7 variant uses the armor lay-out of the original variant, and mounts three AP Gauss Rifles in each arm, with one ton of ammunition for the whole set. A medium laser is set in the centerline. All weapons are tied into a targeting computer.
The Ghost Bears kept tinkering, and apparently caught sight of a LCT-5M
Locust, because in 3084 they unveiled the
8 variant. This variant starts by upgrading the engine to a 300-rated extralight version, making it able to keep up with the aforementioned
Locust. Armament is a single centerline large laser.
The final variant, the
9, arrived in 3085. The product of the Jade Falcons, it appears they let a few of their loony-tunes out, as it mounts a 350-rated superlight (XXL) engine (giving the design ground speed equal to a LCT-6M without MASC), an extralight gyroscope (nominally Inner Sphere tech), and Inner Sphere spec heavy ferro-fibrous armor, which brings protection to maximum (9, 13/3, 9/3, 8, 12). Weapons consist of an improved heavy medium laser in each arm and a laser anti-missile system. Eleven double heat sinks try and deal with the added heat.
Using one of these is relatively simple, as it mirrors that of a
Locust. You are a 25-ton BattleMech. Speed is your life. Keep your speed up, run in to strike something, then get out. If possible, run in packs. Giving them more targets than they can shoot is always good. A few variants have heat woes, so watch for those.
Fighting them starts with taking a deep breath. Depending on your era, your best bet may be simply to flood the area with firepower, and if they fall down, take advantage of it. If you can pick the terrain, choose areas that will reduce their speed. Now as time progressed in BattleTech, things got easier. Pulse lasers, Precision ammunition, and targeting computers help. Targeting computers with either pulse lasers or precision ammo is even better. Of course, just as you got comfortable with this, the truly psychotic models showed up. The
8 and
9 models you really need to pounce on if they trip (anyone have some oil?).
The
Locust IIc should be soldiering on into the new eras. Someone always needs something quick to build and mass-produce. That’s how some of the variants came to be.
